Bhagavad Gita 4.18
कर्मण्यकर्म यः पश्येदकर्मणि च कर्म यः। स बुद्धिमान्मनुष्येषु स युक्तः कृत्स्नकर्मकृत्॥
karmaṇy akarma yaḥ paśyed akarmaṇi ca karma yaḥ | sa buddhimān manuṣyeṣu sa yuktaḥ kṛtsna-karma-kṛt ||
“One who sees inaction in action and action in inaction is wise among people; such a one is in yoga, doing all actions.”- action
- wisdom
- discernment
What this verse is about
This verse speaks to action, and what separates doing from being, a quieter kind of knowing, and the capacity to tell one thing from another, clearly.
✦ Contemplation
Stillness is not laziness. And being busy is not the same as doing.
✦ A small practice
Sit still for two minutes today. Notice how much is still happening inside you.
Chapter 4
The Yoga of Knowledge and the Renunciation of ActionJñāna Karma Sannyāsa Yoga
Action done as offering becomes a form of knowledge. The chapter that insists wisdom purifies everything it touches.
Dilemmas this verse speaks to
Questions real people carry that this verse has something to say about.
Sit with this verse a little longer.
Ask Dharma how this verse might land in your own life, and receive a calm, verse-grounded reflection.
Ask Dharma about 4.18